In this book, Howard Rahtz outlines a series of drug policy steps buttressed by a historical review of drug policy measures, a review of international efforts against trafficking, and a clear understanding of the dynamics of addiction and its role in facilitating the illegal drug market.

A high proportion of crimes committed in Britain are drugs-related, with many offenders having a documented history of drug use. However, the direct link between drugs and crime is often less clear than is supposed and this text attempts to achieve a better understanding of these and surrounding issues that have been marred by misunderstanding and a lack of consensus amongst experts. This text offers a major contribution to existing debates and provides an authoritative and much-needed overview of the range of issues associated with drugs-related crime. Coverage includes: a discussion on theoretical approaches to drugs and crime, an overview of the legal position on drugs and drug offenders, a critique of the aims and nature of treatment, an examination of trafficking and laundering, an analysis of the policing of drugs markets, a discussion about the legalisation debates. This new edition has been fully updated to include the latest data and recent developments in policy and particular attention is paid to changes in sentencing and treatment, as well as changes to practice in trafficking. An expanded chapter on women, drugs and crime now offers further coverage of drug-taking and prostitution. This is the only book in Britain which centres on the links between drugs and crime, and deals with the policy implications of that link. It is a comprehensive account of the various aspects of Government policy concerning drugs, and should be particularly useful to academics and students interested in or studying this aspect of criminology.

Drugs, Crime and Public Health provides an accessible but critical discussion of recent policy on illicit drugs. Using a comparative approach - centred on the UK, but with insights and complementary data gathered from the USA and other countries - it discusses theoretical perspectives and provides new empirical evidence which challenges prevalent ways of thinking about illicit drugs. It argues that problematic drug use can only be understood in the social context in which it takes place, a context which it shares with other problems of crime and public health. The book demonstrates the social and spatial overlap of these problems, examining the focus of contemporary drug policy on crime reduction. This focus, Alex Stevens contends, has made it less, rather than more, likely that long-term solutions will be produced for drugs, crime and health inequalities. And he concludes, through examining competing visions for the future of drug policy, with an argument for social solutions to these social problems.

Drugs, Crime, and Justice is an engaging, yet comprehensive, analysis of the interrelationships among drug use/abuse, crime, and justice. The first four chapters introduce readers to the interrelationships between drugs and crime, while the second later chapters provide readers with an overview of historical and contemporary policies, as well as a comprehensive review of research on policing drug markets, arresting drug offenders, and prosecution and sentencing of drug offenders in state and federal courts. Steven Belenko and Cassia Spohn also examine and assess the impact of the war on drugs and conclude with a discussion of recent policy changes such as drug courts and reform/repeal of mandatory minimum sentences and an examination of new and emerging drug policies in the 21st Century.

Crimes generated by the drug world are rampant. A full half of all murders in the United States are drug-related. Each year, 30,000 Columbians die violent deaths, victims of the drug trade. Fifty percent of all burglaries in Britain are committed by addicts to pay for their habit. And in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, Mafia-style gangs are quickly learning how lucrative the drug trade can be.In an attempt to expose the links between crime, drugs, corruption, and terrorism throughout the world, expert Richard Clutterbuck here provides a profile of drug use world-wide. Drawing on the dramatic examples of Peru and Columbia as case studies, the book describes in detail the manufacture and distribution of cocaine, crack, heroin, cannabis, speed, ice, and LSD. Solutions exist, Clutterbuck argues, not in Latin America or Asia, but on the streets of the West. At a time when policies of suppression are faltering and when the War on Drugs has clearly failed, Clutterbuck weighs the pros and cons of the alternatives: What would need to be done to make suppression work? Should some drugs be decriminalized? How effective has the Dutch experiment been? Is the licensing of drugs to cure addictions an effective remedy?

Surveys administered to high school students, studies carried out on jail and prison inmates, and interviews conducted with substance abusers undergoing treatment all point to the same conclusion: drugs and crime are strongly connected. Why they are connected is less well understood, however. Written for middle to upper-level undergraduate courses on drugs and crime or substance abuse and crime, this book examines the drug-crime connection in a systematic and comprehensive way. Drugs, Crime, and Their Relationships covers the entire drug-crime spectrum, starting with a review of drug and crime terminology, classification, theory, and ending with policy implications for prevention, harm reduction, and macro-level management of the drug-crime problem. The opening chapters discuss drugs and crime separately for the purpose of setting the stage for later discussions on drug-crime relationships. As the book proceeds, the boundaries between drugs and crime blur, thus revealing the complex and intimate relationship that links these two behaviors. Drugs, Crime, and Their Relationships is divided into four sections. The first section offers an introduction and overview of theories on drugs, crime, and their relationships. The second section explores the relevant research on the biological, psychological, sociological, and static/situational correlates of drug-crime relationships. The third section considers the practical implications of drug-crime connections for the criminal justice system, offender assessment, and treatment programming. The fourth and final section examines the policy implications of the drug-crime relationship in the form of prevention, harm reduction, and society’s response to drugs and drug-related crime. Students will enjoy the engaging writing style, instructors will welcome the logical manner in which the text is organized, and scholars will appreciate the comprehensiveness of coverage and the range of citations. Key Features: -Provides a step-by-step breakdown and synthesis of the drug-crime connection. -Organized logically so that a student first progresses through chapters that treat drugs and crime separately, gradually replaced by overlapping discussion of drugs and crime, up until the final section (policy) where the overlap is nearly complete. -Covers core topics, including the history of drugs and crime in America, theories of substance abuse, DSM-IV criteria for substance abuse, antisocial personality disorder, theories of crime, and neurotransmitters and drugs. Also includes discussions on important topics not commonly found in other texts including, meta-analysis, genetics of drug use and crime, drug diversion programs, Prison-based treatment programs for drug offenders, evidence-based intervention, harm reduction, Portuguese and Dutch experiments, and much more. -Pedagogical features: Chapter opening learning objectives and chapter ending summary and critical thinking questions. *List of key words in each chapter.

"This book argues that much current thinking about drugs and crime is simplistic and misguided, because it fails to take into account the complex social and psychological contexts that underpin the relationship between drug or alcohol problems and crime. In clear and accessible language, it reviews existing explanations of the links between drugs and crime, and assesses the practical approaches currently being taken to tackle the problems involved." "This textbook will be of great value to advanced undergraduate and graduate students across the social sciences and in health and social care, including those studying criminology, psychology, medical sociology, social policy, social work or criminal justice. It will also be of interest to academics, practitioners and policy-makers in these fields."--BOOK JACKET.

An overview of how the U.S. justice system combats illegal drugs. Discusses the intersection of the control of crime and the control of drugs, and medical, educational and financial systems. Also gathers information from other disciplines, such as social work, pharmacology, and economics. Discusses the consequences and extent of illegal drug use; the business of illegal drug cultivation, manufacture and merchandising; the U.S. response to drugs both past and present; and the justice system1s response to illegal drugs. Graphs and charts.

"A balanced and sophisticated analysis of the true costs, benefits, and consequences of enforcing drug prohibition is presented in this book. Miron argues that prohibition's effects on drug use have been modest and that prohibition has numerous side effects, most of them highly undesirable. In particular, prohibition is shown to directly increase violent crime, even in cases where it deters drug use. Miron's analysis leads to a disturbing finding—the more resources given to the fight against drugs, the greater the homicide rate. The costs and benefits of several alternatives to the war on drugs are examined. The conclusion is unequivocal and states that any of the most widely discussed alternatives is likely to be a substantial improvement over current policy."

This key work exposes international studies from leading social sciences researchers who use various theoretical perspectives and methodological orientations to depict deviant drug and crime-related pathways. The chapters have been grouped into four sections. The first section, Deviance, Set and Setting, discusses a new basis for the understanding of deviant pathways. The second section, Youth, Drug and Delinquency Pathways, presents empirical studies which help to understand the drug-crime relationship. The third section discusses Adult, Drug and Crime Pathways adopted by drug users, flexers?, traders or dealers, and traffickers. Finally, the fourth section, Ways Out of deviant pathways, explores approaches for controlling drug use and criminality socially or individually, with or without legal intervention or formal help. In short, this book presents an invaluable overview of the most advanced research in the field of deviant drug-and crime-related pathways.